A resident of suburban Maryland, Peyton’s been capturing the essence of the ‘burbs in haiku form (three lines that employ a total of 17 syllables, broken into phrases of 5-7-5) for quite some time now, and she’s elevated it to high — and hilarious — art. Some of my faves from her book:

I keep a close eye on the hummingbird feeder. Yep. It’s still putrid.

For tonight’s potluck please mark what is Gluten-Free so I don’t eat it.

Dare I say something? I think her carpool “conflict” is hating carpool.

Now that you’re all warmed up, let’s get to the giveaway. We’re challenging you to create a mashup of a movie critique and a haiku: a haiku review.

Get inspired by the following examples from Peyton and yours truly, then visit the comments section below to post your own movie review in haiku form (three lines: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables). Enter as often as you like in the next week. Contest ends May 7, 2014. All entries will go into a pool and one randomly drawn poet-winner will get their very own copy of Peyton’s adorable-but-subversive little book.

From Peyton:

DIVERGENT Like Hunger Games, yes but with sexual yearning. (What? That guy is hot!)

MUPPET MOVIE The audience laughed! In fact, there was some shushing from embarrassed kids.

It’s been National Poetry Month for a full week now, and I hope that you’ve found time to read or write (or both!) poems a-plenty. In case you’re looking for a new form of poetry to explore, may I suggest book spine poems?

Today, I’m happy and proud to present a few book spine poems by my dear friend, Annette Simon, an author/illustrator/poet extraordinaire. She’s also lucky enough to work in a bookstore, with access to shelves and shelves of titles to inspire her. Below, she’s grouped a few poems together to create a commentary on parenting that many of us will undoubtedly find compelling.

What motherhood has taught me:

Because…

Another thing…

Mental health days are key.

Why not try composing a few book spine poems of your own? They’re especially fun to make with kids, and the library is a wonderful place to explore this new form of expression. If you do create some you’d like to share, please post your pics on The Well-Versed Mom Facebook page. I’d love to see what you come up with!

MORE ABOUT ANNETTE SIMON:

Annette is an advertising creative director turned picture book maker. In her new ROBOT BURP HEAD SMARTYPANTS!, the mechanical pals of ROBOT ZOMBIE FRANKENSTEIN! return with a new game – and the thirst to win it.

Please see more (and download free robot activity kits!) here. p.s. If you’d like a personalized copy, contact Annette’s local indie, The BookMark. When possible, please support your own local store. Consider a kind word here, here or here. Affirmative?

And as usual, in spite of my oh-so honest intentions to get my butt in gear and get my forms in on time, I will confess that I’m filing an extension.
Again.

I do have a perfectly good excuse, however — actually, make that two perfectly good excuses: my daughters.

See, I’ve been busy cooking and cleaning and shuttling them to school and shopping and sleepovers and afterschool stuff… Oh yeah, and then there’s that job I’ve been working to pay for many of the aforementioned activities.

I’m not complaining, though. It’s what parents do. And my girls are the light of my life, and so very, very worth everything I do for them.

But on Tax Day, I get a bit more appreciative of how much they mean to me.

This year, it’s around $2,000.

.

GIVING CREDIT

They truly are annoying when they whine or when they fight,
when complaining about homework or a shoe that won’t tie right;
plus, they’re noisy and they’re stinky and they cost a lot to feed,
and it seems there’s always some new toy they really, REALLY need.

They keep us from our sleep and leave us stretched from all the stress;
they muddy up the floors and leave their rooms a massive mess;
they dismiss and disobey us and then question all our knowledge;
they rebel and they revolt and then they leave or flee to college.

Yet though they test and tax us, we’re still glad for our kids’ births,
And today I have to say that I do realize their worth;
So even if they misbehave, for once I just won’t sweat it,
‘Cause I’m thankful for and so adore my beautiful tax credits.